Journeys to the place where Music lives.

A Sweet Day

It’s nearly eleven p.m., and I should be turning off the light and settling into bed with Willow cat on my hip. But today was such a sweet day, I’m reluctant to tell it goodnight and tumble through sleep to tomorrow.

Our Early Music Consort concert, take one, was today. (We’ll do it again on Saturday at the university campus uptown.) Mistakes were made, but not all by me, and no one had a musical wipe-out on stage. I forgot to raise my harp lever in time to play an F-sharp instead of an F-natural, but another string player got it correctly, so it wasn’t as obvious as some of my other creative notes. And Trickster tapped someone else for the one-note solo, for which I am very grateful.

After the concert we walked up the street to the Malaysian restaurant and had lunch together. Our ensemble time is focused on rehearsing our music, and afterwards people rush back to work, or to their next rehearsal. Getting to share a meal together, having time to talk and enjoy being with each other, and laughing together over our performance’s more interesting moments was a delightful way to end the concert.

This evening I joined my new knitting friends at our Wednesday evening gathering at the neighborhood yarn shop. We work on projects, drink wine, eat chocolate, talk and laugh, all accompanied by the soft clicks of knitting needles and the low rumbling snores of Lola the terrier, who really runs the store.

On the way home a red light stopped me at a shopping center corner where all the trees are covered in twinkling white lights. Every branch was outlined in sparkles. My favorite Christmas CD, Winterfall, got to the track with my favorite Christmas song, No Candle Was There, just as the trees appeared through my car windows.

It was a moment of magic, of Christmas peace delivered unexpected on a nothing-special Wednesday night made extraordinary by music, friends, and connection. Tonight I am grateful for all these moments of grace, when my often fearful heart knows all is as it should be, and all is well.

The knitting group is my totally unexpected bonus from knitting socks. It is so relaxing and calming just hanging out with them, without any pressure to have to do anything but be there. And being surrounded by all the beautiful yarn and fiber is so inspiring. Maybe your muse will give you a night off from writing once you get the second novel revision done, and let you enjoy the convivial clicking of knitting needles. ☺ There’s some great dialogue possibilities to be mined there as well.

The sock loom has been warmly welcomed into the knitting group. They are open to anything and everything done with fibers. None of the needle knitters had seen or heard of one, and they were quite interested in how it works. One woman said that if she ever knits socks again, that’s what she’ll use, because making socks on needles is too hard. I hope your group will be as welcoming.
Have you started a sock yet, or have you just been having too much fun walking the beach and exploring Key West?

I had another moment of gratitude when I finally turned out the lightweight last night: I was grateful for a day when I did not have to struggle to see my blessings. That truly is evidence of grace in action!